Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass has made a major investment in Blue Bell. See where the legendary Bass family ranks among Texas' richest clans.

Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass has made a major investment in Blue Bell. See where the legendary Bass family ranks among Texas' richest clans.

Photo: 2009 Getty Images

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Click through the gallery to see the richest families in Texas, how much they're worth and how they got their wealth.

Click through the gallery to see the richest families in Texas, how much they're worth and how they got their wealth.

Photo: Hasan Jamali, Photo Illustration

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#179 - The Brookshire Family

Net worth: $1 billion

No. of family members: 20 (est.)

Claim to fame: Grocery stores

Company headquarters: Tyler

#179 - The Brookshire Family

Net worth: $1 billion

No. of family members: 20 (est.)

Claim to fame: Grocery stores

Company headquarters: Tyler

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#164 - The Dedman Family

Net worth: $1.2 billion

No. of family members: 3

Claim to fame: Country clubs

Company headquarters: Dallas

#164 - The Dedman Family

Net worth: $1.2 billion

No. of family members: 3

Claim to fame: Country clubs

Company headquarters: Dallas

Photo: Matt York

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#156 - The Colburn Family

Net worth: $1.3 billion

No. of family members: 4 (est.)

Claim to fame: Electrical equipment distributor

Company headquarters: Irving

#156 - The Colburn Family

Net worth: $1.3 billion

No. of family members: 4 (est.)

Claim to fame: Electrical equipment distributor

Company headquarters: Irving

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#156 - The Briscoe Family

Net worth: $1.3 billion

No. of family members: 8 (est.)

Claim to fame: Ranch land

Company headquarters: Uvalde

#156 - The Briscoe Family

Net worth: $1.3 billion

No. of family members: 8 (est.)

Claim to fame: Ranch land

Company headquarters: Uvalde

Photo: AP File

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#147 - The Westerman Family

Net worth: $1.4 billion

No. of family members: 7

Claim to fame: Oil

Company headquarters: Addison

#147 - The Westerman Family

Net worth: $1.4 billion

No. of family members: 7

Claim to fame: Oil

Company headquarters: Addison

Photo: Hasan Jamali, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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#142 (tied) - The Dobson Family

Net worth: $1.5 billion

No. of family members: 3

Claim to fame: Whataburger

Company headquarters: San Antonio

#142 (tied) - The Dobson Family

Net worth: $1.5 billion

No. of family members: 3

Claim to fame: Whataburger

Company headquarters: San Antonio

Photo: Alison Cook

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#124 - The Fasken Family

Net worth: $1.8 billion

No. of family members: 4

Claim to fame: Oil

Company headquarters: Midland

#124 - The Fasken Family

Net worth: $1.8 billion

No. of family members: 4

Claim to fame: Oil

Company headquarters: Midland

Photo: Michael Paulsen

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#121 (tied) - The Walter Family

Net worth: $1.9 billion

No. of family members: 2 (est.)

Claim to fame: Energy

Company headquarters: Houston

Joseph Walter, Jr., a wildcatter who founded Houston Oil & Minerals by drilling along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana, ended up selling the company to Tenneco in 1981. It was then that he started over with Walter Oil & Gas, where he ran the company until his death in 1997. The company was then placed in the hands of his twin children, Joseph "Rusty" Walter, III (pictured right with his wife Paula) and Carole Walter Looke. It is one of the largest privately held oil companies in America. It's also worth noting that the family donated $10 million to Houston Methodist Hospital's transplant center, where Joe, Jr. received a heart transplant in the 1980s.

George Mitchell (pictured, d. 2013) helped develop the hydraulic fracturing technique for unearthing natural gas shale, which led to more energy fortunes. He was the first to develop the Barnett shale field in Texas, which he later sold to Devon Energy in 2002 for $3.5 billion. During a so-called retirement, Mitchell turned to real estate and bought Bald Head Island in North Carolina along with hotels in Galveston. In Houston, though, he is probably best known for creating the Woodlands.

Academy's story began with Max Gochman, when he opened a tire shop in San Antonio in 1938. A year later, he scrapped that idea and began selling military surplus, changing the name Academy Tire Shop to Academy Super Surplus. Max and his son Arthur (pictured) continued to sell military surplus until the mid-1980s, when they changed tracks again and began selling outdoor gear, such as fishing and camping equipment. Max's grandson, David, began running the company in 1996 then sold it to a private company for around $2.3 billion.

Thomas Friedkin, the former Hollywood stunt man with 11 movies to his name, founded Gulf States Toyota in 1969. It quickly rose to prominence, probably thanks in part to its exclusive distribution rights in five states. The company now does $7 billion in sales.

The late Ting Tsung "T.T." Chao moved his family to America from Taiwan in the 1980s, where they quickly began acquiring chemical plants in the United States southeast corridor. These plant acquisitions eventually became Westlake Chemical Corp., which is now North America's largest low density polyethylene manufacturer (a component which is used in milk and juice cartons, produce bags and plastic wrap.) Pictured above is T.T.'s son Albert, who serves as CEO.

Claim to fame: Diversified, though some family members hold trusts through Koch Industries.

Company headquarters: Dallas

#26 - The Marshall Family

Net worth: $9.3 billion

No. of family members: 3

Claim to fame: Diversified, though some family members hold trusts through Koch Industries.

Company headquarters: Dallas

Photo: LARRY W. SMITH, AP

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#23 - The Butt Family

Net worth: $10.1 billion

No. of family members: 5

Claim to fame: Supermarkets

Company headquarters: San Antonio

#23 - The Butt Family

Net worth: $10.1 billion

No. of family members: 5

Claim to fame: Supermarkets

Company headquarters: San Antonio

Photo: Charles Butt from HEB

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#13 - The Hunt Family

Net worth: $15 billion

No. of family members: 34

Claim to fame: Oil

Company headquarters: Dallas

#13 - The Hunt Family

Net worth: $15 billion

No. of family members: 34

Claim to fame: Oil

Company headquarters: Dallas

Photo: Forbes

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#10 - The Duncan Family

Net worth: $25.4 billion

No. of family members: 4

Claim to fame: Energy

Company headquarters: Houston

Dan Duncan, pictured in this 2010 file photo, is a rags-to-riches story. He was born poor in Center, Texas and was raised by his grandmother by age 7 after his mother and brother died. He would later make it big in natural gas, oil and petrochemical pipelines. Upon his death, he left his nearly $10 billion estate to his four children. Two of his daughters, Milane and Dannine, are active philanthropists around Texas.

The year 2015 started out strong for the beloved Texas ice cream chain. This year the store announced plans to move into Nevada – its 23rd state – due to popular demand and opened its fifth Houston-area distribution center. But the Brenham, Texas-based ice cream maker has now recalled all products after the brand was tied to a listeria outbreak that killed three in Kansas. Click through to see the timeline of the Blue Bell recall.

Blue Bell Ice Cream has recalled three 3-ounce institutional/food service ice cream cups - chocolate, strawberry and vanilla with tab lids - because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

H-E-B announced on Twitter that they'd be restocking their shelves with products made from the the Brenham plant at Blue Bell headquarters. The ice cream makers assured the grocery store the products were safe.

"The additional capital will ensure the successful return of our ice cream to the market and our loyal customers," CEO Paul Kruse said in a prepared statement.

The company halted production in April after an outbreak of listeriosis that officials linked to bacteria in Blue Bell. The Centers for Disease Control connected 10 illnesses in four states to the outbreak, including three deaths of hospital patients who were already ill before they ate the ice cream. Blue Bell later laid off or furloughed about 75 percent of its workforce.

The company would not discuss the scope of the investment or what percentage of the business Bass owns.

"The Kruse family and all of our investors, including Mr. Bass, are committed to preserving the family values and traditions that have guided us over the past 108 years," spokeswoman Jenny Van Dorf said in an email.

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Bass called Blue Bell "a quality leader in the ice cream industry," according to the company's statement. "We believe quality is the principle attribute that ensures the success, growth and longevity of a business," he said.

Bass' contribution also is an investment in Brenham, a town reeling from a series of industrial closures and downsizing. Even the city budget was affected because Blue Bell is the largest utility customer.

Trial production runs are expected to begin this month at the Sylacauga, Ala., plant. There is no word on when sales could resume. Plants in Brenham and Broken Arrow, Okla., remain closed.

Blue Bell has hired teams of microbiologists and undertaken a massive redesign to eliminate listeria from its products. FDA records showed the company knew it had listeria in its plants years ago but never tested food contact surfaces or the ice cream. It plans to use a "test and hold" program to ensure every batch is safe before shipping.